Genealogy

GENEALOGY AND LOCAL HISTORY

Research Services

Patrons unable to access our collection in person may send inquiries by mail,  Email (parkwoodgen@parkwoodlib.com), or the Contact form.

If sending requests by postal mail, please use the following address:

Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library (P&WCPL)
3100 Emerson Ave
Parkersburg WV 26101
Attn. Genealogy Department

Please be aware of the following guidelines.

• Our minimum research fee is $2.00 per request (each Obituary would count as a request) plus $.10/page for photocopies.
• There is a limit of 5 requests at a time.
• Please include a phone number or email address in the request in case we need further information.
• An invoice will be sent with the requested Obituary, article, etc.
• If requesting an article/Obituary from a newspaper, you must provide us with at least a month and a year for us to initiate a search.
• Similarly, if requesting information from our census microfilm reels, you must provide us with at least a state, township/district/borough, and a year.
• A pdf copy of our microfilm holdings is here.

Invoice Payment Options

• To send a check, please use the address listed above.

• To use a credit card or GPay,

or scan the QR code below with your smartphone

Digital Library

(Our digital library is temporarily not available and we’re working to get it restored. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.)

Access the growing collection of digitally scanned copies of books from the PWCPL Genealogy section.

Take fun and interactive trivia quizzes prepared by the Genealogy staff to spotlight works by our local historians.

Seminars

Get more information on upcoming scheduled Genealogy seminars hosted by PWCPL.

Beginning Genealogy Class, Emerson branch, 1/24/2022

Online Resources

Here is a listing of Genealogy web sites that may be of help.

• Wood County Historical and Preservation Society
• Wood County (WV) GenWeb Page
• Wood County Courthouse
• WV State Archives Genealogy Surname Exchange
• WV Vital Records Search
• WVU Libraries — WV & Regional History Collection
• West Virginia in the Civil War
• West Virginia State Archives
• Ancestry Plus
• Athens County (OH) GenWeb Page
• Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet
• Early VA/WV Genealogy
• Find A Grave
• Genealogy Online
• Hacker’s Creek Pioneer Descendents Civil War Page
• Heritage Quest Includes AGLL (American Genealogical Lending Library)
• National Archives and Records Administration
• National Genealogical Society
• Pleasants (WV) GenWeb Page
• ROOTS-L Homepage
• Rootsweb’s list of WV genealogical and historical resources on the net
• The 7th West Virginia Cavalry Home Page
• The Olive Tree Genealogy Information dealing with early New York &New Jersey
• Unclaimed West Virginia Civil War Medals
• USA People search genealogy page
• Wirt (WV) GenWeb Page